Never Perish!
J. C. Ryle
"They shall never perish!" John 10:28
There are two points in religion on which the teaching of
the Bible is very plain and distinct. One of these points is the fearful
danger of the ungodly; the other is the perfect safety of the righteous. One
is the happiness of those who are converted; the other is the misery of
those who are unconverted. One is the blessedness of being in the way to
heaven; the other is the wretchedness of being in the way to hell.
I hold it to be of the utmost importance that these two
points should be constantly impressed on the minds of professing Christians.
I believe that the exceeding privileges of the children of God, and the
deadly peril of the children of the world, should be continually set forth
in the clearest colors before the Church of Christ. I believe that the
difference between the man in Christ, and the man not in Christ, can never
be stated too strongly and too fully. Reserve on this subject, is a
great injury to the souls of men. Wherever such reserve is
practiced—the careless will not be aroused, believers will not be
established, and the cause of God will receive damage.
Reader, perhaps you are not aware what a vast store of
comforting truths which the Bible contains for the peculiar benefit of
real Christians. There is a spiritual treasure house in the Word which many
may never enter, and some eyes have not so much as seen. There you will find
many a golden truth, besides the old first principles of repentance, faith
and conversion. There you will see in glorious array—the everlasting
election of the saints in Christ—the special love with which God loved them
before the foundation of the world—their mystical union with their risen
Head in heaven, and His consequent sympathy with them—their interest in the
perpetual intercession of Jesus, their High Priest—their liberty of daily
communion with Father and the Son—their full assurance of hope—their
perseverance to the end.
These are some of the precious things laid up in
Scripture for those who love God. These are truths which some neglect from
ignorance. Like the Spaniards in California, they know not the rich
mines beneath their feet! These are truths which some neglect from false
humility. They look at them afar off with fear and trembling—but dare
not apply them to themselves. But these are truths which God has given for
our learning, and which you and I are bound to study. It is impossible to
neglect them without inflicting injury upon ourselves.
It is to one special truth in the list of a believer's
privileges, which I now desire to direct your attention this day. That truth
is the doctrine of perseverance—the doctrine that true Christians shall
never perish or be cast away. It is a truth which the natural heart has
bitterly opposed in every age. It is a truth which for many reasons deserves
particular attention at the present time. Above all, it is a truth with
which the happiness of all God's children is most closely connected.
There are four things which I propose to do in
considering the subjects of perseverance.
I. I will explain what the doctrine of perseverance
means.
II. I will show the Scriptural grounds on which the
doctrine is built.
III. I will point out some reasons why many reject the
doctrine.
IV. I will mention some reasons why the doctrine is of
great practical importance.
I approach the subject with diffidence, because I know it
is one on which holy men do not see alike. But God is my witness, that in
writing this tract, I have no desire to promote any but of Scriptural truth.
In pleading for perseverance, I can say with a good conscience that I firmly
believe I am pleading for an important part of the Gospel of Christ. May God
the Spirit guide both writer and reader into all truth! May that blessed day
soon come when all shall know the Lord perfectly, and differences and
divisions pass away forever!
I. I will first explain what I mean by the doctrine of perseverance.
It is of the utmost importance to make this point clear.
It is the very foundation of the subject. It lies at the threshold of the
whole argument. In all discussions of disputed points in theology, it is
impossible to be too accurate in defining terms. Half the abuse which has
unhappily been poured on the Biblical doctrine of perseverance, has arisen
from a thorough misunderstanding of the doctrine in question. Its
adversaries have fought with phantoms of their own creation, and spent their
strength in beating the air.
When I speak of the doctrine of perseverance, I mean
this. I say that the Bible teaches that true Christians shall persevere in
their religion to the end of their lives. They shall never perish. They
shall never be lost. They shall never be cast away. Once in Christ—they
shall always be in Christ. Once made children of God by adoption and
grace—they shall never cease to be His children and become children of the
devil. Once endued with the saving grace of the Spirit—that grace shall
never be taken from them. Once pardoned and forgiven—they shall never be
deprived of their pardon. Once joined to Christ by living faith—their union
shall never be broken off. Once called by God into the narrow way that leads
to life—they shall never be allowed to fall into hell. In a word, every man,
woman and child on earth who receives saving grace—shall sooner or
later receive eternal glory! Every soul that is once justified and
washed in Christ's blood—shall be found safe at Christ's right hand in the
day of judgment.
Reader, such statements as this sound tremendously
strong. I know that well. But I am not going to leave the subject here—I
must dwell upon it a little longer. I desire to clear the doctrine I am
defending from the cloud of misrepresentation by which many darken
it. I want you to see it in its own proper dress—not as it is portrayed by
the hand of ignorance and prejudice—but as it is set forth in the Scripture
of truth.
Perseverance is a doctrine which the ungodly and
worldly have nothing to do with. It does not belong to that vast
multitude who have neither knowledge, nor thought, nor faith, nor fear, nor
anything else of Christianity except the mere name. It is not true of
them—that they will "never perish." On the contrary, except they
repent, they will certainly come to a miserable end.
Perseverance is a doctrine which hypocrites and
false professors have nothing to do with. It does not belong to those
unhappy people whose religion consists in talk, and words, and
a form of godliness, while their hearts are destitute of the grace of
the Spirit. It is not true of them, that they will "never perish." On the
contrary, except they repent, they will certainly be lost forever.
Perseverance is the peculiar privilege of real,
true, spiritual Christians. It belongs to the sheep of Christ who
hear His voice and follow Him. It belongs to those who are washed,
and justified, and sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus,
and by the Spirit of God. It belongs to those who repent, and
believe in Christ, and live holy lives. It belongs to those who
have been born again, and converted, and made new creatures by the Holy
Spirit. It belongs to those who are of a broken and contrite heart, and mind
the things of the Spirit, and bring forth the fruits of the Spirit. It
belongs to the elect of God, who cry to Him night and day. It belongs
to those who know the Lord Jesus by experience, and have faith, and
hope, and charity. It belongs to those who are
fruit-bearing branches of the vine—the wise virgins—the light
of the world—the salt of the earth—the heirs of the
kingdom—the followers of the Lamb. These are they whom the Bible
calls the saints. And it is the saints and the saints alone—of whom
it is written, that they shall "never perish."
Does anyone suppose that what I am saying applies to none
but eminent saints? Does anyone think that people like apostles and
prophets, and martyrs may perhaps persevere to the end—but that it cannot be
said of the common sort of believers? Let him know that he is entirely
mistaken. Let him know this privilege of perseverance belongs to the whole
family of God—to the youngest—as well as the oldest; to the
weakest—as well as the strongest; to the babes in grace—as well
as to the old pillars of the Church.
The least faith shall as certainly continue
indestructible as the greatest. The least spark of grace shall
prove as unquenchable as the most burning and shining light. Your faith
may be very feeble, your grace may be very weak, your strength
may be very small, you may feel that in spiritual things you are but a
child. Yet fear not, neither be afraid. It is not on the quantity of
a man's grace—but on the truth and genuineness of it—which the
promise turns. A penny is as truly a current coin of the country, as
a dollar, though it is not so valuable. Wherever sin is truly
repented of, and Christ is truly trusted, and holiness is truly
followed—there is a work which shall never be overthrown. It shall stand
when the earth and all the works thereof, shall be burned up.
Reader, there are yet some things to be said about
perseverance, to which I must request your special attention. Without them
the account of the doctrine would be imperfect and incomplete. The mention
of them may clear up some of the difficulties which surround the subject,
and throw light on some points of Christian experience, which God's children
find hard to understand.
Remember, then, that when I tell you that that believers
shall persevere to the end—I do not for a moment say that they shall never
fall into sin. They may fall sadly, foully, and shamefully, to the
scandal of true religion, to the injury of their own deep and bitter sorrow.
Noah once fell into drunkenness. Abraham twice said falsely
that Sarah was only his sister. Jacob deceived his father Isaac.
Moses spoke unadvisedly with his lips. David committed horrible
adultery. Solomon lost his first love, and was led away by his many
wives. Hezekiah forgot God, and boasted of his riches. Peter
denied his Lord three times with an oath. The apostles all forsook
Christ in the garden.
All these are cases in point. They are all melancholy
proofs that Christians may fall. But believers shall never fall totally,
finally, and completely. They shall always rise again from
their falls by repentance, and renew their walk with God. Though sorely
humbled and cast down—they never entirely lose grace. The comfort of
grace, they may lose—but not the being of grace. Like the moon under
an eclipse, their light is for a season turned into darkness; but they are
not rejected and cast away. Like the trees in winter, they may show
neither leaves nor fruit for a time; but the life is
still in their roots. But they never perish.
Remember for another thing, that when I say believers
shall persevere to the end—I do not mean that they shall have no doubts
and fears about their own safety. So far from this being the
case, the holiest men of God are sometimes sorely troubled by anxieties
about their own spiritual condition. They see so much weakness in
their own hearts, and find their practice come so short of their desires,
that they are strongly tempted to doubt the reality of their own grace, and
to imagine that they are but hypocrites, and shall never reach Heaven at
all.
To be safe is one thing—to feel sure that
we are safe is quite another. There are many true believers who never enjoy
the full assurance of hope all their days. Their faith is so weak and
their sense of sin so strong—that they never feel confident of their own
saving interest in Christ. Many a time they could say with David, "I shall
one day perish" (1 Sam. 27. 1); and with Job, "Where is my hope?" (Job 17.
15.) The joy and peace in believing, which some feel, and the witness of the
Spirit, which some experience, are things which some believers, whose faith
is impossible to deny, never appear to attain. Called as they evidently are
by the grace of God—they never seem to taste the full comfort of the
calling. But they are perfectly safe, though they themselves refuse
to know it.
"More happy—but not more secure,
are the glorified spirits in heaven."
Full assurance is not necessary to salvation. The
absence of full assurance is no argument against a man's perseverance to
the end. That mighty master of theology, John Bunyan, knew well what he
wrote, when he told us that Despondency and Much-afraid got safely to the
celestial city at last, as well as Mr. Valiant-for-the-truth. It is as true
of the most doubting child of God, as it is of the strongest, that he
shall "never perish." He may never feel it. But it is true?
Remember, in the last place, that the certain
perseverance of believers, does not free them from the necessity of
watching, praying, and using means, or make it needless to ply them with
practical exhortations. So far from this being the case—it is just by the
use of means, that God enables them to continue in the faith. He draws them
with the cords of a man. He uses warnings and conditional promises as part
of the machinery by which He insures their final safety. The very fact that
they despised the helps and ordinances which God has appointed, would
be a plain proof that they had no grace at all—and were on the road to
destruction. Paul before his shipwreck had a special revelation from God,
that he and all the ship's company should get safely to land. But it is a
striking fact that he said to the soldiers, "Except the seamen abide in the
ship—you cannot be saved." (Acts 27:31.) He knew that the end was
insured—but believed also that it was an end to be reached by the use of
certain means.
The cautions, and conditional promises, and admonitions
to believers, with which Scripture abounds, are all part of the Divine
agency by which their perseverance is effected. An old writer says, "they do
not imply that the saints can fall away—but they are preservatives to keep
them from falling away." The man who thinks he can do without such cautions
and despises them as legal, may well be suspected as an impostor, whose
heart has never yet been renewed. The man who has been really taught by the
Spirit will generally have a humble sense of his own weakness, and be
thankful for anything which can quicken his conscience and keep him on his
guard. Those who persevere to the end are not dependent on any means—but
still they are not independent of them. Their final salvation does not hang
on their obedience to practical exhortations—but it is just in taking heed
to such exhortations that they will always continue to the end. It is the
diligent, the watchful, the prayerful and the humble—to whom belongs the
promise, "They shall never perish."
Reader, I have now given you an account of what I mean
when I speak of the doctrine of perseverance. This, and this only, is the
doctrine that I am prepared to defend in this tract. I ask you to weigh well
what I have said, and to examine the statement I have made on every side. I
believe it will stand inspection.
It will not do to tell us that this doctrine of
perseverance has any tendency to encourage careless and ungodly living. Such
a charge is utterly destitute of truth. It cannot justly be brought forward.
I have not a word to say on behalf of anyone who lives in willful sin,
however high his profession may be. He is deceiving himself. He has a lie in
his hand. He has none of the marks of God's elect. The perseverance I plead
for, is not that of sinners—but of saints. It is not a
perseverance in carnal and ungodly ways—but a perseverance in the way of
faith and grace. Show me a man who deliberately lives an unholy life, and
yet boasts that he is converted and shall never perish—and I say plainly,
that I see nothing hopeful about him. He may know all mysteries, and speak
with the tongue of angels—but so long as his life is unaltered, he is on
the highway to hell!
It will not do to tell us that this doctrine of
perseverance, is merely a piece of Calvinism. Nothing is easier than to get
up a prejudice against a truth, by giving it a bad name. Men deal with
doctrines they do not like, much as Nero did when he persecuted the early
Christians. They dress them up in a hideous garment and then hold them up to
scorn and run them down! The perseverance of the saints is often treated in
this manner. People stave it off by some sneering remark about Calvinism,
and think they have settled the question.
Surely it would be more fitting to inquire whether
perseverance was taught in the Bible 1400 years before Calvin was born. The
question to be decided is not whether the doctrine is Calvinistic—but
whether it is Scriptural. The words of one deserve to be widely
known. "Take especial care before you aim your shafts at Calvinism, that you
know what Calvinism is—and what is not; that in the mass of doctrine which
it is of late become the fashion to abuse under the name of Calvinism, you
can distinguish with certainty between that part of which is nothing better
than Calvinism, and that which belongs to our common Christianity and the
general faith of the reformed Churches—lest, when you mean only to attack
Calvinism you should unwarily attack something more sacred and of a higher
origin."
II. I now proceed to show the Scriptural grounds on which
the doctrine of perseverance is built.
I need hardly say that the Bible is the only test
by which the truth of every religious doctrine can be tried. The words of
the sixth Article of the Church of England deserve to be written in letters
of gold: "Whatever is not read in the Holy Scripture, nor may be proved
thereby—is not to be required of any man that it should be believed as an
article of the faith." By that rule I am content to abide. I ask no man to
believe the final perseverance of the saints, unless the doctrine can be
proved of the Word of God. One plain verse of Scripture, to my mind,
outweighs the most logical conclusions to which human reason can attain.
Reader, in bringing forward those texts of Scripture on
which this tract is founded, I purposely abstain from quoting from the Old
Testament. I do so, lest any should say that the Old Testament promises
belong exclusively to the Jewish people as a nation, and are not available
in a disputed question affecting individual believers. I do not admit the
soundness of this argument—but I will not give anyone the chance of using
it. I find proofs in abundance in the New Testament, and to them I shall
confine myself.
I shall write down the texts which appear to me to prove
final perseverance, without note or comment. I will only ask you to observe
as you read them, how deep and broad is the foundation on which the doctrine
rests. Observe that it is not for any strength or goodness of their own—that
the saints shall continue to the end and never fall away. They are in
themselves weak, and frail, and liable to fall like others. Their safety is
based on the promise of God, which was never yet broken—on the
election of God, which cannot be in vain—on the power of the
great Mediator Christ Jesus, who is Almighty—on the inward work of the
Holy Spirit, which cannot be overthrown. I ask you to read the following
texts carefully, and see whether it is not so.
"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they
follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can
snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater
than all ; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand." (John 10:27-29.)
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall
trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or
sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who
loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor
demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height
nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us
from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:35-39.)
"They went out from us—but they were not of us; for if
they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us; but they
went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us." (1
John 2:19.)
"Truly, truly, I say unto you, He who hears my word, and
believes on Him that sent Me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into
condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (John 5:24.)
"I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if
any man eats of this bread, he shall live forever." (John 6:51.)
"Because I live, you shall live also." (John 14:19.)
"Whoever lives and believes in Me, shall never die."
(John 11:26.)
"By one offering, He has perfected forever those who are
sanctified." (Heb. 10:14.)
"He who does the will of God abides forever." (1 John
2:17.)
"Sin shall not have dominion over you." (Romans 6:14.)
"The very hairs of your head are all numbered." (Romans
6:14.)
"A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax
shall He not quench." (Matt. 12:20.)
"Who shall also confirm you to the end, that you may be
blameless in the day of Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Cor. 1:8.)
"Kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation,
ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:5.)
"Preserved in Jesus Christ, and called." (Jude 1.)
"The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will
preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom." (2 Tim. 4:18.)
"1 pray God your whole spirit, and soul, and body, be
preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He
who calls you, who also will do it." (1 Thess. 5:23,24.)
"The Lord is faithful, who shall establish you, and keep
you from evil." (2 Thess. 3:3.)
"God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted
above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to
escape, that you may be able to bear it." (1 Cor. 10:13.)
"God willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of
promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath; "That by
two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might
have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the
hope set before us." (Heb. 6:17,18.)
"Fear not little flock; for it is your father's good
pleasure to give you the kingdom." (Luke 12:32.)
"This is the Father's will who has sent Me, that of all
which He has given Me, I should lose nothing—but should raise it up at the
last day." (John 6:39.)
"The foundation of God stands sure, having this seal—the
Lord knows them that are His." (2 Tim. 2:19)
"Whom He did predestinate, those He also called; and whom
He called, those He also justified; and whom He justified, those He also
glorified." (Romans 8. 30.)
"God has not appointed us unto wrath—but to obtain
salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thess. 5:9.)
"God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation
through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth." (2 Thess.
2:13.)
"The vessels of mercy, which He had afore prepared unto
glory." (Romans 9. 23.)
"The gifts and calling of God are without repentance."
(Romans 11:29.)
"If it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."
(Matt. 24:24.)
"He is able to save to the uttermost all who come unto
God by Him, seeing He ever lives to make intercession for them." (Heb.
7:25.)
"He is able to keep you from falling, and to present you
faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy." (Jude 24.)
"1 know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is
able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day." (2 Tim.
1:12.)
"1 have prayed for you—That your faith fail not." (Luke
22. 32.)
"Holy Father, keep through Your own name those whom You
have given Me." (John 17:11.)
"1 pray not that you should take them out of the
world—but that you should keep them from the evil." (John 17:15.)
"1 will that day they also whom you have given Me, be
with Me where I am." (John 17:24.)
"If, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by
the death of His Son; much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His
life." (Romans 5:10.)
"The Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive,
because it sees Him not, neither knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells
with you, and shall be in you." (John 14:17.)
"Being confident of this very thing, that He who begun a
good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Phil.
1:6.)
"The anointing which you have received of Him abides in
you; and you need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing
teaches you of all things, and is truth, and no lie, and even as it has
taught you, you shall abide in Him." (John 2:27.)
"The Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed unto the
day of redemption." (Ephes. 4:30.)
"You were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which
is the pledge of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased
possession." (Ephes. 1:13, 14.)
"Born again, not of corruptible seed—but of
incorruptible." (1 Peter 1:23.)
"He has said—I will never leave you nor forsake you."
(Heb. 13:5.)
Reader, I lay before you these forty-four texts of
Scripture, and ask your serious attention to them. I repeat that I will make
no comment on them. I had rather leave them to the honest common sense of
all who read the Bible. Some of these texts, no doubt, bring out the
doctrine of final perseverance more clearly than others. About the
interpretation of some of them, men's judgments may differ widely. But there
are not a few of the forty-four which appear to my mind so plain, that were
I to invent words to conform my views, I would despair of inventing any that
would convey my meaning so unmistakably.
I am far from saying that these texts are all the
Scriptural evidence that might be brought forward. I am satisfied that the
doctrine maintained in this tract might be confirmed by other arguments of
great might and power.
I might point to the attributes of God's character
revealed in the Bible—and show how His wisdom, unchangeableness, and power,
and love, and glory are all involved in the perseverance of the saints. If
the elect may finally perish, what becomes of God's counsel about them in
eternity, and His doings for them in time?
I might point to all the offices which the Lord Jesus
fills, and show what discredit is thrown on His discharge of them, if
any of His believing people can finally be lost.
What kind of Head would He be—if any of the
members of His mystical body could be torn from Him? What kind of
Shepherd would He be—if a single sheep of His flock was left behind in
the wilderness? what kind of Physician would He be, if any patient
under His hand were at length incurable? What kind of High Priest
would He be—if any name once written on His heart were found missing when He
makes up His jewels? What kind of Husband would He be—if He and any
soul once united to Him by faith were ever put asunder?
Finally, I might point to the great fact that there is
not a single example in all Scripture of any one of God's elect ever
finally making shipwreck and going to hell. We read false prophets and
hypocrites. We read of fruitless branches, stony ground, and thorny ground
hearers, virgins without oil in their vessels, servants who bury their
talents. We read of Balaam, and Lot's wife, and Saul, and Judas Iscariot,
and Ananias and Sapphira, and Demas. We see their hollow characters. We are
told of their end. They have no root. They are rotten at the heart. They
endure for a while. They go at last to their own place. But there is not a
single instance in the whole Bible of anyone falling away—who ever showed
unquestionable evidences of grace. Men like Abraham, and Moses, and David,
and Peter, and Paul always hold on their way. They may slip.
They may fall for a season. But they never entirely depart from
God. They never perish. Surely if the saints of God can be cast away, it
is a striking fact that the Bible should not have given us one single plain
example of it.
But time and space would fail me if I were to enter into
the field which I have just pointed out. I think it better to rest my case
on the text which I have already given. The mind to which these texts carry
no conviction, is not likely to be influenced by other arguments. To myself
they appear, when taken altogether, to contain such an immense mass of
evidence, that I dare not, as a Christian man, deny to be true. I dare not,
because I feel at this rate I might dispute the truth of any doctrine
in the Gospel. I feel that if I could explain away such plain texts as some
of those I have quoted—that I could explain away almost all the leading
truths of Christianity.
Reader, I am quite aware that there are some texts and
passages of Scripture which appear at first sight to teach a contrary
doctrine to that which I maintain in this tract. I know that many attach
great weight to these texts, and consider them to prove that the saints of
God may perish and fall away. I can also say that I have examined
these texts with attention—but have found in them no reason to alter my
opinion on the subject of perseverance. Their number is small. Their meaning
is unquestionably more open to dispute than that of many of the forty-four I
have quoted. They all of them admit of being interpreted so as not to
contradict the doctrine of perseverance.
I hold it to be an infallible rule in the exposition of
Scripture, that when two texts seem to contradict one another, the less
plain must give way to the more plain, and the weak must give way to the
strong. That doctrine which reconciles most texts of Scripture is most
likely to be right. That doctrine which makes most texts quarrel with one
another, is most likely to be wrong.
I ask you, if not convinced by all I have said hitherto,
to put down the texts I have quoted on behalf of perseverance, and the texts
commonly quoted against it, in two separate lists. Weigh them one against
another. Judge them with fair and honest judgment. Which list contains the
greatest number of positive, unmistakable assertions? Which list contains
the greatest number of sentences which cannot be explained away? Which list
is the strongest? Which list is the weakest? Which list is the most
flexible? Which list is the most unbending? If it were possible in a world
like this to have this question fairly tried by an unprejudiced, intelligent
jury, I have not the least doubt which way the verdict would go. It is my
own firm belief and conviction that the final perseverance of the saints is
so deeply founded on Scriptural grounds, that so long as the Bible is the
Judge, it cannot be overthrown.}
III. The third thing I propose to do, is to point out the
reasons why many reject the doctrine of perseverance.
It is impossible to deny that multitudes of professing
Christians entirely disagree with the views expressed in this. I am quite
aware that many regard them with abhorrence, as dangerous, enthusiastic, and
fanatical, and lose no opportunity of warning people against them. I am also
aware that among those who hold that the saints of God may fall away and
perish, are to be found many holy, self-denying, spiritually-minded people
—people at whose feet I would sit in Heaven, though I cannot approve of all
their teaching upon earth.
This being the case, it becomes a matter of deep interest
to find out, if we can, the reasons why the doctrine of perseverance is
so often refused. How is it that the doctrine for which so much
Scripture can be alleged, should be stoutly opposed? How is it that a
doctrine which for the first hundred years of the Reformed Church of England
it was hardly allowable to call in question, should now be so frequently
rejected? What new views can have risen up in the last two centuries which
make it necessary to discharge this good old servant of Christ? I am
confident that such inquiries are of deep importance in the present day.
There is far more in this question than appears at first sight. I am
satisfied that I am not wasting time in endeavoring to throw a little light
on the whole subject.
I desire to clear the way by conceding that many good
people refuse the doctrine of perseverance for no reason whatever, excepting
that it is too strong for them. There are vast numbers of true-hearted
Christians just now who never seem able to bear anything strong. Their
religious constitution appears so feeble, and their spiritual digestion so
weak, that they must always be "fed with milk—and not with meat." Talk to
them strongly about grace—and they put you down as an Antinomian!
Talk strongly about holiness—and you are thought legal! Speak
strongly of election—and you are considered a narrow-minded
Calvinist! Speak strongly about responsibility and free agency—and
you are regarded as an Arminian! In short, they can bear nothing strong of
any kind—or in any direction. Of course they cannot receive the doctrine of
perseverance.
I leave these people alone. I am sorry for them. There
are sadly too many of them in the Churches of Christ just now. I can only
wish them better spiritual health, and less narrowness of views, and a
quicker growth in spiritual knowledge. The people I have in my mind's eye in
this part of my tract, are of a different class, and to them I now address
myself.
(1) I believe one reason why many do not hold
perseverance, is their general ignorance of the whole system of
Christianity.
They have no clear idea of the nature, place, and
proportion of the various doctrines which compose the Gospel. Its several
truths have no definite position in their minds. Its general outline is not
mapped out in their understandings. They have a vague notion that it is a
right thing to belong to the Church of Christ, and to believe all the
Articles of the Christian faith. They have a floating, misty idea that
Christ has done certain things for them, and that they ought to do certain
things for Him, and that if they do them it will be all right at last. But
beyond this they really know nothing. Of the great systematic statements in
the Epistles to the Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews, they are profoundly
ignorant. As to a clear account of Justification, you might as well ask them
to square the circle; or write a letter in Sanskrit. It is a subject they
have not even touched with the tips of their fingers. This is a sore
disease, and only too common in England. Unhappily it is the disease of
thousands who pass muster as excellent Churchmen. It is absurd to expect
such people to hold perseverance. When a man does not know what it is to be
justified—he cannot of course understand what it is to persevere
to the end.
(2) I believe another reason why many do not hold
perseverance, is their dislike to any system of religion which draws
distinctions between man and man.
There are not a few who
entirely disapprove of any Christian teaching which divides the congregation
into different classes, and speaks of one class of people as being in a
better and more favorable state before God than another. Such people cry
out, "that all teaching of this kind is uncharitable; that we ought to hope
well of everybody, and suppose everybody will go to heaven." They think it
downright wrong to say that one man has faith and another not; that one a
child of God, and another a child of the devil; that one a saint and another
a sinner. "What right have we to think anything about it?" they say. "We
cannot possibly know. Those whom we call good, are very likely no better
than others, —hypocrites, impostors, and the like. Those of whom we think
badly are very probably quite as much in the way to heaven as the rest of
mankind, and have got good hearts at bottom." As to anyone feeling sure of
heaven, or confident of his own salvation, they consider it quite
abominable. "No man can be sure. We ought to hope well of all."
There are only too many people of this sort in the
present day. Of course the doctrine of perseverance is intolerable to them.
When a man refuses to allow that anyone is elect, or has grace, or enjoys
any special mark of God's favor more than his neighbors—it stands to reason,
that he will deny that anyone can have the grace of perseverance.
(3) I believe another common reason why many do not hold
perseverance is an incorrect view of the nature of SAVING FAITH.
They regard faith as nothing better than a feeling or impression. As soon as
they see a man somewhat impressed with the preaching of the Gospel and
manifesting some pleasure in hearing about Christ—they set him down at once
as a believer! By and by the man's impressions wear away, and his interest
about Christ and salvation ceases altogether. Where is the faith he seemed
to have? It is gone. How can his friends, who have pronounced him a
believer, account for it? They can only account for it by saying, that "a
man may fall away from faith," and that "there is no such thing as
perseverance." And in short, this becomes an established principle in their
religion.
Now this is a mischievous error, and I am afraid sadly
common in many quarters. It manifestly may be traced to ignorance of the
true nature of religious affections. People forget that there may be many
religious emotions in the human mind—with which saving grace has nothing to
do. The stony ground hearers received the word with joy—but had no root in
them. The history of all revivals proves that there may often be a great
quantity of seemingly religious impression, without any true work of
the Spirit. Saving faith is something far deeper and mightier than a
little sudden feeling. It is an act not of the feelings only—but
of the whole conscience, will, understanding, and inward man. It is the
result of clear knowledge. It springs from a conscience not grazed
merely—but thoroughly stirred. It shows itself in a deliberate,
willing, humble dependence on Christ. Such faith is the gift of God—and is
never overthrown! Make faith a mere matter of feeling—and it
is of course impossible to maintain perseverance for such a one.
(4) I believe another reason why many do not hold
perseverance is near akin to the one last mentioned. It is an incorrect view
of the nature of CONVERSION.
Not a few are ready to pronounce
any change for the better in a man's character, to be a conversion. They
forget that there may be many blossoms on a tree in spring, and yet
no fruit in autumn; and that a new coat of paint does not make an old
door new. Some, if they see anyone weeping under the influence of a
sermon, will set it down at once as a case of conversion. Others, if a
neighbor suddenly gives up drinking or swearing, and become a great
professor—at once rush to the conclusion that he is converted.
The natural consequence in numerous instances is
disappointment. Their supposed case of conversion often turns out
nothing more than a case of outward reform, in which the heart was
never changed. Their converted neighbor sometimes returns to old habits—as
the pig that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire. But then unhappily
the pride of the natural heart, which never likes to allow itself mistaken,
induces people to form a wrong conclusion about the case. Instead of telling
us that the man never was converted at all, they say that "he was
converted—but afterwards lost his grace and fell away."
The true remedy for this is a right understanding of
conversion. It is no such cheap and easy and common thing as many seem to
fancy. It is a mighty work on heart, which none but He who made the world
can effect, and a work which will abide and stand the fire. But once take a
low and superficial view of conversion, and you will find it impossible to
maintain final perseverance.
(5) I believe another most common reason why many do not
hold perseverance is an incorrect view of the effect of BAPTISM.
They lay it down, as a cardinal point in their divinity, that all who are
baptized are born again in baptism, and all receive the grace of the Holy
Spirit. Without a single plain text in the Bible to support their opinions,
they still tell us that all baptized people are necessarily regenerate. Of
course such a view of baptism is utterly destructive of the doctrine that
true grace can never be overthrown. It is plain as daylight that multitudes
of baptized people never show a spark of grace all their lives, and never
give the slightest evidence of having been born of God. They live
careless and worldly—and careless and worldly they die—and to all
appearance miserably perish. According to the view to which I am now
referring, "they have all fallen away from grace! They have all had it! They
were all made God's children! But they all lost their grace! They have all
become children of the devil!" I will not trust myself to make a single
remark on such doctrine. I leave those who can to reconcile it with the
Bible. All I say is, that if baptismal regeneration be true, there is an end
of the final perseverance.
(6) I believe another reason why many do not hold
perseverance, is an incorrect view of the nature of the Church.
They make no distinction between the visible Church which contains
"evil as well as good," and the invisible Church which is composed of
none but God's elect and true believers. They apply to the one the
privileges, and blessings, and promises which belong to the other. They call
the visible Church, with its crowds of ungodly members, and baptized
infidels, "the mystical body of Christ, the Bride, the Lamb's wife, the Holy
Catholic Church," and the like. They will not see what Hooker long ago
pointed out, and his admirers would do well to remember—that all these
glorious titles do not properly belong to any visible Church—but to
the mystical company of God's elect. The consequence of all this confusion
is certain and plain. Upon this man-made system they are obliged to allow
that thousands of members of Christ's body have no life, no grace, and no
sympathy with their Head, and end at last by being ruined forever, and
becoming lost members of Christ in hell! Of course at this rate they cannot
maintain the doctrine of perseverance. Once embrace the unscriptural notion
that all members of the visible Church are, by virtue of their
churchmanship, members of Christ, and the doctrine of this tract must be
thrown aside.
Reader, I commend the things I have just been saying to
your sincere and prayerful attention. I have gone through them at the risk
of seeming wearisome, from a deep conviction of their great importance. I am
sure if any of this tract deserves consideration, it is this.
I entreat you to observe how important it is for
Christians to be sound in the faith, and to be armed with clear Scriptural
knowledge of the whole system of the Gospel. I fear the increasing tendency
to regard all doctrinal questions as matters of opinion; and to look
on all earnest-minded men as right, whatever doctrines they maintain. I warn
you that the sure result of giving way to this tendency will be a vague,
low, misty theology—a theology containing no positive hope, no positive
motive, and no positive consolation—a theology which will fail most, just
when it is most needed—in the day of affliction, the hour of sickness, and
on the bed of death.
I know well that it is a thankless office to offer such
warnings as these. I know well that those who give them must expect to be
called bigoted, narrow-minded, and exclusive. But I cannot review the many
errors which prevail on the subject of perseverance, without seeing more
than ever, the immense need there is for urging on all to be careful about
doctrine. Oh, learn to know what you mean when you talk of believing the
doctrines of Christianity! Be able to give a reason of your hope. Be able to
say what you think is true, and what you think false in religion. And never,
never forget that the only foundation of soundness in the faith, is a
thorough textual knowledge of the Bible.
I entreat you, in the last place, to observe how one
error in religion leads on to another. There is a close connection between
false doctrines. It is almost impossible to take up one alone. Once let a
man get wrong about the Church and the sacraments, and there is no saying
how far he may go and where he may land at last. It is a mistake at the
fountain-head and influences the whole course of his religion. The mistake
about baptism is a striking illustration of what I mean. It throws a color
over the whole of a man's divinity; it insensibly affects his views of
justification, sanctification, election, and perseverance; it fills his mind
with a tangled maze of confusion as to all the leading articles of the
faith. He starts with a theory for which no single plain text of Scripture
can be alleged, and before this theory tramples plain passages of the Bible
by the score! They interfere with his favorite theory, and therefore cannot
mean what common sense tells us they do! Oh, reader, be as jealous about a
little false doctrine, as you would be about a little sin! Remember the
words of Paul: "a little leaven leavens the whole lump."
IV. I now proceed, in the last place, to mention some
reasons why the doctrine of final perseverance is of great importance.
When I speak of the importance of perseverance, I do not
for a moment mean that it is necessary to salvation to receive it. I freely
grant that thousands and tens of thousands have gone to heaven, who believe
all their lives that saints might fall away. But all this does not prove the
doctrine maintained in this tract to be a matter of indifference. He who
does not believe it and yet is saved, no doubt does well; but I am persuaded
that he who believes it and is saved does far better. I hold it to be one of
the chief privileges of the children of God, and I consider that no
privilege contained in the Gospel can be lost sight of without injury to the
soul.
(1) Perseverance is a doctrine of great importance,
because of the strong color which it throws on the whole statement of the
Gospel.
The grand characteristic of the Gospel is, that it is
glad tidings. It is a message of peace to a rebellious world. It is good
news from a far country, alike unexpected and undeserved. It is glad
tidings—that there is a hope for us—lost, ruined, and bankrupt as we are by
nature—a hope of pardon, a hope of reconciliation with God, a hope of glory.
It is glad tidings—that the foundation of this hope is mighty, deep, and
broad—that it is built on the atoning death and gracious mediation of a
Savior. It is glad tidings—that this Savior is an actual living person,
Jesus the Son of God; able to save to the uttermost all who come to God by
Him—and no less merciful, compassionate, and ready to save than able. It is
glad tidings—that the way to pardon and peace by this Savior is the
simplest possible. It is not a thing high in Heaven that we cannot
reach, or deep in the depths that we cannot fathom. It is simply to believe,
to trust, and to cast ourselves wholly on Jesus for salvation, and salvation
is all our own. It is glad tidings— that all who believe are at once
justified and forgiven all things; their sins, however many—are washed away;
their souls however unworthy—are counted righteous before God. They believe
on Jesus, and therefore they are saved. This is the good news. This is the
glad tidings. This is the truth which is the grand peculiarity of the
Gospel. Happy indeed is he who knows and believes it!
But think, reader, for a moment, what a mighty difference
it would make in the sound of the Gospel, if I went on to tell you—that
after receiving all those mercies you might by-and-by lose them entirely!
What would your feelings be if I told you that you were in daily peril of
forfeiting all these privileges, and having your pardon sealed in Christ's
blood taken back again? What would you think if I told you that your safety
was yet an uncertain thing, and that you might yet perish and never reach
Heaven at all? Oh, what a falling off this would seem! Oh, how much of the
grace and beauty of the glorious Gospel would disappear and fade away! Yet
this is literally and exactly the conclusion to which a denial of
perseverance must bring us!
Once admit that the true saints of God may perish, and
you seem to me to tear from the Gospel crown, its brightest jewel! We are
hanging on the edge of precipice. We are kept in awful suspense until we are
dead. To tell us that there are plenty of gracious promises to encourage
us—if we will only persevere—is but mockery. It is like telling the
sick man that if he will only get well—he will be strong. The poor patient
feels no confidence that he will get well, and the poor weak believer feels
nothing in him like power to persevere. Today he may be in Canaan,
and tomorrow he may be in Egypt again, and in bondage! This week he
may be in the narrow way which leads to life; but for anything he knows,
next week he may be back in the broad road which leads to destruction! This
month he may be a justified, pardoned, and forgiven man; but next month his
pardon may be all revoked, and he himself in a state of condemnation! This
year he may have faith, and be a child of God; next year he may be a child
of the devil, and have no part or lot in Christ! Where is the good news in
all this? What becomes of the glad tidings? Truly such doctrine seems to me
to me—to cut up the joy of the Gospel by the roots. Yet this is the doctrine
we must hold, if we reject the final perseverance of the saints.
I bless God that I am able to see another kind of Gospel
than this in the word of God. To my eyes the Bible seems to teach that he
who once truly begins the life of faith in Christ—shall without doubt be
preserved from apostasy—and come to a glorious end. Once made alive by the
grace of God—he shall live forever. Once raised from the grave of sin and
made a new man—he shall never go back to the grave and become once more the
old man dead in trespasses and sins. He shall be kept by the power of
God. He shall be more than conqueror through Him that loved Him. The
eternal God is his refuge; underneath him are Everlasting Arms.
The love in which he is interested is eternal. The
righteousness in which he is clothed is eternal. The redemption
which he enjoys is eternal. The sense and comfort of it he may
lose by his own carelessness. But the thing itself, after once believing—is
his for evermore.
Reader look at the two ways in which the weary and
heavy-laden sinner may be addressed, and judge for yourself which is most
like the gospel of the grace of God. On the side stands the doctrine, which
says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ—and you shall be saved. Once truly
believe—and you shall never perish. Your faith shall never be allowed
entirely to fail. You shall be sealed by the Holy Spirit unto the day of
redemption." On the other side stands the doctrine, which says, "Believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. But after you have
believed take care. Your faith may fail. You may fall away. You may drive
the Spirit from you. You may at length perish everlastingly!" Which doctrine
of these two contain most good news? Which is most like glad tidings? Is it
all the same which way the sinner is addressed? Is it matter of indifference
whether we tell him that believing he is saved, unless he falls
away—or whether we tell him that believing he is saved forever? I cannot
think it. I regard the difference between the two doctrines as very great
indeed. It is the difference between January and June. It is the difference
between midnight and noonday.
I speak for myself. I cannot answer for the experience of
others. To give me solid peace, I must know something about my future
prospects, as well as about my present position. It is pleasant to see my
pardon today—but I cannot help thinking of tomorrow. Tell me that the Holy
Spirit who leads me to Christ, and gives me repentance and faith in Him,
will never leave me nor forsake me, and I feel solid comfort. My feet are on
a rock. My soul is in safe hands. I shall get safely home. Tell me, on the
other hand, that after being led to Christ by the Holy Spirit—that I am left
to my own vigilance, and that it all depends on my watching, and praying,
and care, whether the Spirit leaves me or not—and my heart melts within me.
I stand on quicksand. I lean on a broken reed. I shall never get to
heaven. It is vain to tell me of the promises; they are only mine if I
walk worthy of them. It is vain to talk to me of Christ's mercy; I may
lose all my interest in it by indolence and self-will. Reader, the absence
of the doctrine of perseverance appears to me to give a different color to
the whole Gospel. You cannot wonder if I regard it as of great importance.
(2) But the doctrine of perseverance is also of
importance, because of the special influence it is calculated to have on all
who halt between two opinions in religion.
There are many people of this description in the Church
of Christ. There are hundreds to be found in every congregation to which the
Gospel of Christ is preached, who know well what is right, and yet have not
courage to act up to their knowledge. Their consciences are awakened. Their
minds are comparatively enlightened. Their feelings are partially aroused to
a sense of the value of their souls. They see the path they ought to take.
They hope one day to be able to take it. But at present they sit still and
wait. They will not take up the cross and confess Christ.
And what keeps them back? In a vast proportion of cases
they are afraid to begin, lest they should by-and-by fail and fall away.
They see innumerable difficulties before them if they serve Christ. They are
quite right. It is vain to deny that there are difficulties, both many and
great. They stand shivering on the brink of the vast sea on which we would
have them embark, and as they mark the rolling, tumbling waves, their hearts
faint. They mark many a little boat on the waters of that sea, tossed to and
fro, and struggling hard to make its way across, and looking as if it would
be engulfed in the angry billows, and never get safe to harbor. "It is of no
use," they feel: "it is of no use. We shall certainly fall away. We cannot
serve Christ yet. The thing cannot be done."
Now, what is most likely to give courage to these halting
souls? What is most likely to hearten them for the voyage? What is most
likely to cheer their spirits, nerve their minds, and bring them to the
point of boldly launching away? — I answer, without hesitation, The doctrine
of final perseverance.
I would gladly tell them that however great the
difficulties of Christ's service, there is grace and strength in store to
carry them triumphantly through all. I would tell them that these poor,
praying, broken-spirited voyagers whom they watch and expect to see cast
away, are all safe as if they were already in harbor. They have each a pilot
on board, who will carry them safe through every storm. They are each joined
to the everlasting God by a tie that can never be broken, and shall all
appear at length safe at the right hand of their Lord. Yes—and I would
gladly tell them that they too shall all make a glorious end—if they will
only begin. I would have them know that, if they will only commit themselves
to Christ, they shall never be cast away. They shall not be plucked away by
Satan. They shall never be left to sink and come to shame. Trials
they may have—but none that the Spirit will not give them power to endure.
Temptations they may have—but none that the Spirit shall not enable
them to resist. Only let them begin—and they shall be conquerors. But the
great matter is to begin.
Reader, I believe firmly that one reason why so many
wavering people hang back from making a decided profession, is the lack of
encouragement which the doctrine of perseverance is intended to afford.
(3) The doctrine of perseverance is of importance because
of the special influence it is calculated to have on the minds of true
believers.
The number of true believers is at all times very small.
They are a little flock. But even out of that flock there are a few who can
be called strong in faith, few who know much of uninterrupted joy and peace
in believing, few who are not often cast down by their doubts, anxieties,
and fears.
It is useless to deny that the way to Heaven is narrow.
There are many things to try the faith of believers. They have trials the
world cannot understand. They have within a heart weak,
deceitful, and not to be trusted; cold—when they desire to be warm;
backward—when they would gladly to be forward; more ready to sleep than
watch. They have without a world which does not love Christ's
truth, and Christ's people—a world full of slander, ridicule, and
persecution—a world with which their own dearest relations often join. They
have ever near them a busy devil, an enemy who has been
reading men's hearts for 6,000 years, and knows exactly how to suit and time
his temptations—an enemy who never ceases to lay snares in their way—who
never slumbers and never sleeps. They have the cares of life to attend to,
like other people—the cares of children—the cares of business—the cares of
servants—the cares of money—the cares of earthly plans and arrangements—the
cares of a poor, weak body, each daily thrusting itself upon their souls.
Who can wonder that believers are sometimes cast down? Who ought not rather
to marvel that any believers are saved? Truly I often think that the
salvation of each saved person is a greater miracle than the passage of
Israel through the Red Sea.
But what is the best antidote against the believer's
fears and anxieties? What is most likely to cheer him as he looks forward to
the untried future and remembers the weary past? I answer without
hesitation, the doctrine of the final perseverance of God's elect. Let him
know that God having begun a good work in him will never allow it to be
overthrown. Let him know that the footsteps of Christ's little flock
are all in one direction. They have erred. They have been vexed. They have
been tempted. But not one of them has been lost. Let him know that those
whom Jesus loves, He loves unto the end. Let him know that He will not allow
the weakest lamb in His flock to perish in the wilderness, or the tenderest
flower in His garden to wither and die. Let him know that Daniel in the den
of lions, the three children in a fiery furnace, Paul in the shipwreck, Noah
in the ark—were none of them more cared for and more secure, than the
believer in Christ. Let him know that he is fenced, walled, protected,
guarded by the Almighty power of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and cannot
perish. Let him know that it is not in the power of the things in the
present or things to come—of men or of devils—of cares within or troubles
without, to separate one single child of God from the love that is in Christ
Jesus.
This is strong consolation. These are the things which
God has laid up in the Gospel for the establishment and confirmation of His
people. Well would it be for His people if these things were more brought
forward than they are in the Church of Christ. Truly I believe that one
reason of the saints' weakness is their ignorance of the truths which God
has revealed in order to make them strong.
Reader, I leave the subject of the importance of
perseverance here. I trust I have said enough to show you that I have
not called your attention to it in this tract without good cause. I feel
strongly that the hardness of man's heart is such that nothing should be
omitted in religious teaching which is likely to do it good. I dare not omit
a single grain of truth, however strong and liable to abuse it may seem to
be. Nothing appears to me of small importance which adds to the beauty of
the Gospel, or gives encouragement to the halting, or confirms and builds up
God's people. I desire to teach that the Gospel not only offers present
pardon and peace—but eternal safety and certain continuance to
the end. This I believe be the mind of the Spirit. And what the Spirit
reveals—I desire to proclaim.
And now, reader, I have brought before you, to the best
of my ability, the whole subject of perseverance. I have told you as plainly
as I can, what I believe to be the truth as it is in Jesus. If I have
offended you by anything I have said, I am sorry. I have no desire to pain
anyone, and least of all the children of God. If I have failed to convince
you I am sorry—but I am satisfied the defect is not in the doctrine I
defend—but in my manner of stating it. It only remains to conclude
this tract by a few words of PRACTICAL APPLICATION.
(1) For one thing, let me entreat you to consider well,
whether you have any part at all in the salvation of Christ Jesus.
It matters nothing what you believe about perseverance,
if after all you have no faith in Christ. It matters little whether you hold
the doctrine or not, so long as you have no saving faith, and your sins are
not forgiven, and your heart not renewed by the Holy Spirit. The clearest
head-knowledge will save no man. The most correct and orthodox views will
not prevent a man from perishing by the side of the most ignorant heathen—if
he is not born again. Oh, search and see what is the state of your own soul!
You cannot live forever. You must one day die. You cannot
avoid the judgment after death. You must stand before the bar of Christ. The
summons of the Archangel cannot be disobeyed. The last great assembly must
be attended. The state of your own soul must one day undergo a thorough
investigation. It will be found out one day what you are in God's sight.
Your spiritual condition will at length be brought to light before the whole
world. Oh, find out what it is now! While you have time, while you have
health, find out the state of your soul.
Your danger, if you are not converted, is far greater
than I can describe. Just in proportion to the thorough safety of the
believer—is the deadly peril of the unbeliever! There is but a step between
the unbeliever and the worm which never dies, and the fire which is never
quenched. He is literally hanging over the brink of the bottomless pit!
Sudden death to the saint—is sudden glory! Sudden death to the unbeliever—is
sudden hell! Oh, search and see what is the state of your soul! "Whoever
believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not
see life, for God's wrath remains on him." John 3:36
Remember that you may find out whether you have an
interest in the invitations of the Gospel. It is a thing that may be known.
It is nonsense to pretend that no man can tell. I never will believe that an
honest man, with a Bible in his hand, will fail to discern his spiritual
condition by diligent self-examination. Oh be a honest man! Search the
Scriptures. Look within. Rest not until you find out the state of your soul.
To live on and leave the soul's state uncertain, is not to play the part of
a wise man—but a fool.
(2) In the next place, if you know nothing of the
privileges of the Gospel, I entreat you this day to repent and be converted,
to hear Christ's voice, and follow Him.
I know no reason, human or divine, why you should not
accept this invitation today and be saved, if you are really willing. It is
not the quantity of your sins that need prevent you. All manner of sin may
be forgiven. The blood of Jesus cleanses away all sin. It is not the
hardness of your heart that need prevent you. A new heart God will give you,
and a new spirit will He put in you. It is not the decrees of God that need
prevent you. He wills not the death of sinners. He is not willing that any
should perish—but that all should come to repentance. It is not any lack of
willingness in Christ—He has long cried to the sons of men, "Whoever will,
let him take the water of life freely." "Him that comes unto Me I will never
cast out." Oh, reader, why should not you be saved?
A day must come, if you are ever to be God's child, when
will you cease to trifle with your soul's interests. An hour must come when
at last you will bend your knee in real earnestness, and pour out of your
heart before God in real prayer. A time must come when the burden of your
sins will at last feel intolerable, and when you will feel you must have
rest in Christ or perish. All this must be if you are ever to become a child
of God and be saved. And why not today? Why not this very night? Why not
without delay seek Christ and live? Oh, reader, answer me, if you can!
(3) In the next place, let me entreat every reader who
holds final perseverance, so to use this precious doctrine as not to abuse
it.
There is an awful readiness in all men to abuse God's
mercies. Even the children of God are not as free from the sad
infection. There is a busy devil near the best of saints, who would gladly
persuade them to make their privileges a plea for the careless living, and
to turn their soul's food into poison. I cannot look around the church and
the end to which many high professors come, without feeling that there is
need for caution. "Let him that thinks he stands—take heed lest he fall."
Would we know what it is to abuse the doctrine of
perseverance? It is abused when believers make their safety an
excuse for inconsistencies in practice. It is abused when they make their
security from final ruin an apology for a low standard of
sanctification, and a distant walk with God. Against both those abuses I
entreat believers to be on their guard.
Would we know what it is to use the doctrine of
perseverance aright? Let us watch jealously over the daily workings of
our own hearts. Let us mortify and nip in the bud, the least inclination to
spiritual indolence. Let us settle down in our minds as a ruling principle
of our lives, that the mercies of God are only turned to a good account when
they have a sanctifying effect on our hearts. Let us root it finally in our
inward man, that the love of Christ is never so really valued—as when it
constrains us to increased spiritual-mindedness. Let us set before our
minds, that the more safe we feel—the more holy we ought to be. The
more we realize that God has done much for us—the more we ought to do for
God. The greater our debt—the greater should be our gratitude. The more we
see the riches of grace—the more rich should we be in good works.
Oh, for a heart like that of the Apostle Paul! To realize
like he did, our perfect safety in Christ—to labor as he did for God's
glory, as if we could never do too much—this is the mark—this is the
standard at which we ought to aim.
Reader, let us so use the doctrine of perseverance, that
our good may never be evil spoken of. Let us so adorn the doctrine by our
lives, that we may make it beautiful to others, and constrain men to say,
"It is a good and holy thing to be persuaded that the saints will never
perish."
(4) In the last place, I entreat all believers who have
hitherto been afraid of falling away, to lay firm hold on the doctrine of
perseverance, and to realize their own safety in Christ.
I want you to know the length and breadth of your portion
in Christ. I want you to understand the full amount of treasure to which
faith in Jesus entitles you. You have found out that you are a great sinner.
Thank God for that. You have fled to Christ for pardon and peace with God.
Thank God for that. You have committed yourself to Jesus for time and
eternity. Thank God for that. You have no hope but in Christ's blood,
Christ's righteousness, Christ's mediation, Christ's daily all-persevering
intercession. Thank God for that. Your heart's desire and prayer is to be
holy in all of life. Thank God for that. But oh, lay hold upon the glorious
truth—that believing on Jesus you shall never perish, you shall never be
cast away, you shall never fall away! It is written for you as well as the
apostles, "My sheep shall never perish." Yes! reader, Jesus has spoken
it—and Jesus meant it to be believed. Jesus has spoken it—who never broke
His promises. Jesus has spoken it—who cannot lie. Jesus has spoken it—who
has power in heaven and earth to keep His word. Jesus has spoken it for the
least and lowest believers: "My sheep shall never perish."
Would you have perfect peace in life? Then lay hold on
this doctrine of perseverance. Your trials may be many and great.
Your cross may be very heavy. But the business of your soul is all
conducted according to an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and
sure. All things are working together for your good. Your sorrows are
only purifying your soul for glory; your bereavements are only
fashioning you as a polished stone for the temple above, made without hands.
From whatever quarter the storms blow, they only drive you nearer to
heaven! Whatever weather you may go through it is only ripening you for the
garner of God. Your best things are quite safe. Come what will, you shall
"never perish."
Would you have strong consolation in sickness?
Then lay hold on this doctrine of perseverance. Think, as you feel the pins
of this earthly tabernacle loosening one by one, "nothing can break my union
with Christ!" Your body may become useless; your members may refuse to
perform their duty; you may feel like an old useless log—a weariness to
others, and a burden to yourself. But your soul is safe! Jesus is never
tired of caring for your soul. You shall "never perish."
Would you have full assurance of hope in death?
Then lay hold on this doctrine of perseverance. Doctors may have given over
their labors; friends may be unable to minister to your needs; sight may
depart; hearing may depart; memory may be almost gone—but the loving
kindness of God shall not depart. Once in Christ you shall never be
forsaken. Jesus shall stand by you. Death shall not separate you from the
everlasting love of God in Christ. You shall "never perish."
Reader, may this be your portion in life and death! And
may it be mine!